PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The Case GI SPORE Biostatistics and Informatics Core will interact with all SPORE investigators to develop and apply appropriate analysis methods, study designs and secure databases to most efficiently achieve project goals. We will work closely with investigators to ensure that research questions lead to experiments with quantifiable goals and testable hypotheses. In addition the Case GI SPORE Biostatistics and Informatics Core will provide infrastructure and oversight for secure management of all study data, working closely with the Biospecimen Core to facilitate accuracy and completeness of datasets for all projects and investigators. Our specific aims are: (1) To provide support to Case GI SPORE investigators in the design, conduct, analysis and reporting of results from Case GI SPORE studies and (2) To provide secure and accessible database systems to facilitate reliable and reproducible impactful results for all Case GI SPORE investigators. The Biostatistics and Informatics Core leverages faculty and resources in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Medicine and the Institute for Computational Biology (ICB) at CWRU. Drs. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan and Jonathan Haines will co-direct the Core. The Biostatistics and Informatics Core will serve as a centralized resource for all investigators involved in the Case GI SPORE, including the leaders of the 4 translational research projects, Developmental Research Program (DRP) investigators, Career Enhancement Program (CEP) investigators and leaders of the Biospecimen Core. The Core will assist investigators with all facets of statistical d e s i g n , analysis and interpretation. Established as well as novel tailored analytic methods are available to promote scientific discovery for GI cancers within the Core. Core personnel will interact with SPORE investigators in all stages of research, from the formulation of the research questions, through experimental design, data management, data analysis (including outcomes analysis), interpretation, writing scientific manuscripts and grants, to dissemination of results. The Core will also facilitate access to secure and accessible database systems in order to assist with statistical analysis, discovery and collaboration. The Core will assist all investigators with development, management and reliability of their project data and will also integrate information across databases, such as incorporating clinical and experimental data with biospecimen data as provided by the Biospecimen Core. The Biostatistics and Informatics Core will provide a natural foundation for cross-pollination among the projects and Cores, the Core personnel collaborating with all project investigators and Core directors.